How Solar Hot Water Works

When the sun is shining, the solar collectors heat up the water. This is similar to how the water is heated in a hose left on the lawn on a hot sunny day. This hot water is then returned to the bottom of the tank. Hot water rises, so the heated water travels to the top of the tank and, whilst the sun is shining, more and more hot water is added and the water in the tank gradually heats up.

When you use hot water in your home, the water is provided at mains pressure from your Modern storage tank. The hot water is drawn out near the top of the tank (this is the hottest part of the tank) and delivered into your home.

The solar collectors on the roof of your house are in the sun all day, it is common for the non-circulating water in side to get very hot. A tempering valve is supplied with all Modern systems, which can reduce the temperature of water for safety reasons. The tank automatically refills itself with cold mains water every time you take water out. It always fills from the bottom of the tank. This obviously cools the water in the tank.

Electric boost solutions:
If you have continuous day rate electricity then Modern have a special solar thermostat built into the tank, which automatically senses when the water temperature has dropped from its preset temperature of 60°C. This automatically turns on the electric booster located in the centre of the tank, which heats the top half of the tank back up to 60°C.
If customer has off peak rate electricity selected then the automatic thermostat won't turn on until the off peak electricity turns on in the middle of the night which shall provide power and once again heat the top half of the tank to 60°C.